NEW DELHI: Lionel Messi celebrated a historic night with tears, a hat-trick and yet another record as Argentina began their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign with a dominant 3-0 win over Algeria in Group J at the Kansas City Stadium.The 38-year-old was seen emotional after scoring the first of his three goals, leaving fans wondering…
Argentina’s Lionel Messi, second right, celebrates with teammates after scoring his team’s second goal. (AP Photo) Lionel Messi turned back the clock once again as defending champions Argentina launched their FIFA World Cup title defence in emphatic fashion, with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner scoring his first-ever World Cup hat-trick in a commanding 3-0 victory…
India’s Harsh Dubey attends a training session in Lucknow. (AP Photo) TimesofIndia.com in Lucknow: It took Surendra Dubey and Jyoti Dubey nearly 24 hours to travel from Nagpur to Lucknow. A delayed train only added to the journey, but nothing could dampen the spirits of the proud parents, who had missed watching their son Harsh…
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi against Sri Lanka A players NEW DELHI: Sri Lanka Cricket has reportedly punished some players involved in the heated scenes that followed the India A vs Sri Lanka A tri-series match in Dambulla. The game ended dramatically with Sri Lanka A winning in the Super Over after both teams scored 265, but the…
Grandmaster Mitrabha Guha stays on the hot seat NEW DELHI: For those unfamiliar with India’s iconic quiz show “Kaun Banega Crorepati” (KBC), hosted by legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan, the term “hot seat” may evoke a bizarre image. But, in reality, it is where contestants sit opposite Bachchan in the Indian version of “Who Wants to…
France’s Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring the opening goal of his team during the World Cup Group I soccer match between France and Senegal in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) Kylian Mbappé entered the 2026 FIFA World Cup with an opportunity to add another chapter to…
France have named a strong and attacking starting XI for their FIFA World Cup 2026 opener against Senegal, with Kylian Mbappé captaining a side packed with pace, creativity and technical quality in the final third. France XI: Mike Maignan; Dayot Upamecano, Jules Koundé, William Saliba, Lucas Hernández; Aurélien Tchouaméni, Adrien Rabiot; Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué,…
Brazil’s Neymar (AP Photo) Brazil’s hopes of having Neymar available anytime soon at the FIFA World Cup suffered another setback on Monday after the veteran forward underwent fresh tests on his injured right calf, casting further doubt over his long-awaited tournament debut.There had been optimism that the Santos star would rejoin training after sitting out…
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Tilak Varma NEW DELHI: The India A vs Sri Lanka A match in the Tri-Nation A Series in Dambulla had everything – controversy, confusion, heated exchanges, a Super Over and even a tense confrontation involving teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.While Sri Lanka A eventually emerged victorious in the Super Over on Monday,…
FIFA’s anti-discrimination monitoring partner Fare has called for a video review official at the FIFA World Cup to be removed after he appeared to make a hand gesture that resembles a symbol associated with white supremacist groups.The issue arose during Germany’s opening match against Curaçao on Sunday when the official broadcast briefly showed the team…